Her Elven Mind
by Masando
Summary: Elvera begins to celebrate her wedding day, not realizing that it will end badly.


"Wake up, cousin," a voice crooned, jerking Elvera from her slumber. She opened her eyes, through the haze of grogginess that made the dingy room look as if she were seeing it through a thin veil. "Why are you still in bed? It's your big day!" As the room slid into focus and Elvera's eyes cleared, Shianni laughed softly.

"Did I oversleep?" the elf murmured, sitting up slowly as she brushed the sleep from her eyes. She produced a groan.

"Yes, your father and I figured you deserved it." Her cousin laughed again, sweetly and full of mirth. Her expression was wry. "You _do_ remember what today is, don't you?"

Elvera frowned as she struggled to remember. "Someone's wedding?" she decided.

"A _double _wedding! You're getting married, and so is Soris!" Shianni reminded her exasperatedly. "That's what I came to tell you! Your groom, Nelaros- he's here early!"

Elvera stood and gathered her long gold hair into what would soon become a bun, muttering into her sleeve as she teased it into its tight final form. "That's great. The sooner the better."

Shianni either ignored or didn't notice the sarcasm in her cousin's voice. "I know! You're so lucky," she said happily, with only the tiniest trace of envy in her voice. Shianni was a year younger than Elvera and wouldn't be married until she was nineteen as well.

"All right, I'll stop tormenting you. I should go talk to the other bridesmaids and find my dress," she said, turning to leave. Over her shoulder she called back to her cousin. "Oh! And Soris said he'd be waiting for you outside. So move it!"

Elvera sighed and opened the chest that held her things- a health poultice, her twin daggers, and- she cringed to see them- wedding clothes. They were quite pretty compared to the rags that usually clothed the Alienage elves, and seemed to glow with a silvery sheen. She pulled on the dress and silently put the tiny jar of health poultice in a conveniently placed hole- or was it a pocket? It was too old to truly know. Her knives were hidden in the hem, and only slightly weighed the dress down. She turned to look at her father, who stood in the dining room area of the one-roomed cottage, wearing shabby finery. He smiled.

"Ah, my little girl," he said, plucking a stray strand of hair from his daughter's shoulder and letting it drift to the floor. Realisation flickered in his eyes, a tender expression etched in every line of his face. "It's... the last day I'll be able to call you that... Oh, I wish your mother could have been here!"

Elvera felt a familiar pang of grief as she remembered Adraia. How it must pain her father to see Elvera, a replica of his lost wife!

"Me too, father. I think she would have liked to see my wedding day." Cyrion nodded solemnly, and his daughter hurriedly changed the subject. "Well, what should I be doing?"

Her father's voice morphed into a too-crisp one. "All right, time for you to find Soris. The sooner this wedding starts, the less chance you two have to escape." Elvera allowed a dry smile, and her father spoke again.

"Oh, one last thing before you go, my dear," his daughter looked puzzled, and her green eyes narrowed quizzically. "Your martial training- the swordplay, knives, and whatever else your mother trained you in- best not mention it to your betrothed."

"He'll find out sooner or later," Elvera said carelessly, and Cyrion smiled again.

"Best make it later, then."

She was showered in congratulations as she passed her fellow elves and smiled or thanked their givers in return. Elvera had no trouble navigating the mazelike streets and alleys of the Alienage- she and Soris knew their neighborhood better than most of the adults. She was correct in her assumption that her cousin would be by their childhood haunt- a tall, thick tree with sparse leaves that was perfect for climbing, sheltered in between dirty, crumbing buildings. Soris was leaning on the tree, his brown hair neatly groomed and his hands white and spotless for once. He stared at himself in a small puddle to the left of him, looking revolted at his cleanliness.

"Well, if it isn't my lucky cousin," he said, looking up. "Care to celebrate the end of our independence together?"

"Don't worry, Soris," Elvera rolled her great spice-green eyes. "It'll be fine."

"That's easy for you to say." When she raised her eyebrows at her cousin, Soris explained. "Apparently, your groom's a dream come true. My bride sounds like a dying mouse."

"My groom is attractive?" the elf said idly, fingering a carved oak ring that looped around her forefinger. Soris grinned grudgingly.

"_I'd_ trade for him," he replied, and his cousin snorted. "Let's introduce you to your dreamy betrothed before you say, 'I do"."

Both elves were shivering slightly as they neared the stagelike platform upon which they were to be married. When Kallian, an elven woman with short, severely straight black hair, waved Elvera relaxed slightly, but her form quickly tensed threateningly as her friend's reassuring smile morphed rapidly into an expression of shock as a human strolled leisurely behind her and took her waist roughly.

"Let go of me! Stop, _please_!" she cried as she struggled with the man. She broke away and was surveyed by the other women as Elvera clenched her jaw and glared with all of her might at the human. His rich clothing, carefully tailored to his exact size and embroidered with vivid colors, stood out like a rose in a mud puddle while amongst the dull, earthy-hued rags of the elves.

"It's a party, isn't it?" he said. His voice was arrogant, commanding and cold, matching the expression plastered onto his chiseled face. "Grab a whore and have a good time." he laughed, and Elvera felt sick. Soris too was stiff with shock.

_Is this what they think of us? Pretty toys to be played with and tossed away? _Elvera's eyes narrowed dramatically, but everyone was too busy listening in horror to the human's next words to notice.

"Savor the hunt, boys. Take this little elven wench, here... so young and vulnerable..." Elvera bit back a cry of rage as she noticed that the man was looking hungrily at Shianni.

_No! You cannot have her! Not her!_

But the human had judged Shianni by her pretty face and delicate build- underestimating her spite.

"Touch me and I'll gut you, you pig!" Shianni spat. Everyone present knew that she would act on her word.

"Please, my lord!" A man pleaded desperately. "We're just celebrating weddings here!" Lord? So that was why he was such an arrogant scoundrel.

"Silence, worm!" the lord roared. He lifted a hand and struck the man, knocking him off his feet. Everyone gasped, but the only thing Elvera felt was rage.

"I know what you're thinking, but maybe we shouldn't get involved..." he said quietly, surveying the scene. Elvera looked at him as if he was mad.

"'Not get involved?' Do you not understand? Shianni will get herself killed!"

"Fine. But let's try to be diplomatic, shall we?" Soris's expression was a blend of fear, concern, and anger.

"Diplo-" his cousin sounded scandalized for a moment before her objection was interrupted by a mocking murmer.

"What's this? Another lovely one come to keep me company?" Elvera gritted her teeth, and Soris made an odd growling sound, like he was trying to refrain from shouting.

"Dream on, human," she snorted.

The lord scoffed. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Elvera didn't answer, for she was watching in horror as Shianni took advantage of being out of the human's sight. Her cousin's red hair shimmered in the sunset as she ran to a battered table with an ancient bottle. Knowing what her cousin was planning to do, Elvera's insides seemed to turn to ice. The human whipped around, seeking what had captivated his newest victim's attention, and seemed to be frozen with shock at what he saw. Shianni's sweet features contorted in fury and triumph as she swung the bottle once. With a shatter and a scream, the human fell to the cobblestone street. Shianni looked both mortified and proud for a moment, but she only looked terrified when one of the two men that had been with the human confronted her.

"Are you insane?" the young, dark-haired human said in shock. "This is Vaughn Urien, the arl of Denerim's son!"

Elvera groaned and closed her eyes, hoping that it was but a nightmare and that she would wake to be a married woman. She opened her eyes again, and a new fire glinted in their spice-green depths.

"Then just imagine what we'll do to you two!" Elvera cried. Many gasped at her sauciness, Soris included.

"You've a lot of nerve, knife-ears! Things'll go badly for you." the other threatened, his voice shaking with anger. They carried the unconscious Vaughn from the crowd, disappearing from sight.

"Oh, I really messed up that time," Shianni said in a hushed tone.

"It'll be all right," Soris said soothingly, but Elvera noticed a twinge of doubt in his voice as he spoke. "He won't tell anyone an elven woman took him down,"

Shianni laughed bitterly. "I hope so. I should go get cleaned up."

Elvera thoughts echoed what Shianni had just voiced- she hoped, she prayed to the Creators that no one else in the Alienage believed in, she prayed to the Maker that she scoffed at, that Urien would not return.

There you go! I love the Dalish, but thought that the City Elf origin would be fun to write, so I had Elvera believe in the Creators instead of the boring ol' Maker. I hope you liked it! And if you didn't, tell me, because it's my first fanfic and I want to get super good at writing! I used **criana**'s Youtube video "Let's Play: Dragon Age Origins (Part One)" for the dialogue and such, but I've played this origin before and am basing the character in this fic after my own Dragon Age: Origins character.


End file.
